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!^ EARI.Y M1I.LINERS A.ND DrESSMAKIERS (^ 

\^\ In B1.00MINGTON IlIv. ^ 

^ By Miss Amanda M. Thayer. ^ 

1912. ft^ 



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VAcz A. U. Thayer. 
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KarIvY Mii,i,ine)rs And Dressmakers In Bloomington, Ii^linois. 

By Miss Amanda M. Thayer. 

1912. 

la January 1858, I began living in Bloomington, 111. I have learned that before 

that time Mrs. Joshua Harlan had done millinery on Main street between Front 

and Grove, near the Oberkoetter store. She was a sister of Mrs. Sophia Osboni 

who was located at the northwest coraer of Main and Oiive streets . 

Their maiden names was Johnson and they had come here in 1836, from Maci- 

-son Cotmty New York. The latter was an active milliner to 1856. She was the 

widow of Harmon Osbom who died here in 1854. 

I learned that these two women were the very earliest milliners in this city . 

The trade was not as extensive then as now . Married women wore bonnets , 

girls wore hats or sun- bonnets. Even Miss Juliet Gridley wore a sun-bonnet. 

Then as I am told, a Mrs. McGowan located at the southeast comer of Jeffer - 

- son and Madison Streets. lyater, or early in the '8o's, she moved to Front 

Street next east of the Birch Hotel. 

When the Royce Block was built a Miss KUabeck had millinery up stairs,, first 

door to the right. She sold out and went back to England. 

Miss Sue Btu-lett worked with her four years. Miss Burlett married Peter 

Jacoby , and is now his widow . Miss Kate Selbezer had a milliner shop on the 

north side of Front Street between Main and Center. She married the late Dan. 

Pearson, Esquire, - is now his widow, 

A Mr. and Mrs. Briggs had a house and milHuery shop on the south side of 

Jefferson Street between Center and Madison . They did not remain very long. 

A Mrs. Hamilton, another early milliner, was located 0.1 Jefierso.i Street. 

A Miss Wright and her mother made bonnets on the second floor over what is 

now Read ar.d White's Book Store, and later a Mrs. Jenkins w^as located at the 

same place awhile, then moved to a room in the Ashley House on Jefferson St. 

Mrs. Solon Fisk was her sister, and lived and worked with her. 

A Miss I^ocke and sister had a room and made millinery up stairs in what was 

then the Metropolitan Block on the north side of the square. 

Current report was that Mrs. Perry McKisson and Mrs. I^eroy Payne were the 

most pronounced customers of these two shops, that these two women vied 

with each other as to which would have the greatest number of hats in one 

season, and report said they each got eighteen new hats in one season. 

I do not vouch for this report, but I once heard Mrs. McKisson say she be- 

-lieved .she and Mrs. Payne were the best dressed women in town - as to hats. 

I also heard that when they died neither took any hats with them , nor could 

they pay their bills. In the Southland this is called being reduced. 

A Mr. Nason started a dry goods store in the Royce Block. His wife carried a 

stock of millinery in one side of the store, but that did not last long, they too 

became reduced. 

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A Miss Priest sold millinery up stairs in Phoenix Hall, on the South side o 

the squiire over what was known as Reed and Barger's china store. 

A Mrs. Nailor was located at the same place, later. 

•Mrs. Fifield had quite an extensive store where Seibel is now located, betw 

Washington and Front streets. She employed a good many assistatits. 

Mrs . Dunham sold millinery at a place on Front .street , about where 

Nickel theater is now located. 

Mrs. August Thayer made millinery and kept a store in the rear of tlie Post 
Office where the Griesheim Building now stands conier of Maui and Jefferson 
streets. Miss Mary Robertson kept a store and made millinery hi a small way 
at a place on North Center street, but soon moved to the 400 block on Nortl| 
Main. She was a lovely Uttle woman, attended to no ones affairs but her ownj, 
Mrs. Jacob Sleigle made and sold millinery up stairs over Moore's marble shop 
o-i East Washington street. Later she also moved to the 400 block on North 
Main street. Still later Miss Tilly Frey, now Mrs. Gibson, conducted the samel 
About 1830 a Miss Polly Baker who later married Dr. Wheeler, made bonneti' 
of the 'calash' style . There was no imported ones in those days . A bonnet 
lasted a long time then. j 

The women wore bonnets, the g^rls wore hats or sun-bonnets . Then came tha 
cottage straw, the Tuscan straw, the lyCghom, the Poke style, such as Motherr 
Flanagan wore, the Shaker, the shirred lawn , and the Gypsy style, all these 
in succession, until as the story goes it repeats itself in about fifty years. 
Miss Polly Baker made the 'calash' of silk. It opened and shut, and was very 
effective in the early days. A person was not expected to have more than one. 
in a hfe-time. |. 

This brings us down to a fast age and the high cost of living in the [900's . 



In the early days of Bloomington there was not as many dressmaking shops as 

now, but sewing women earned their living then , 'went out to sew' as it was 

callel, by the day or week, and received mostly two dollars a week, then 

considered a good price. Now it is three dollars a day, board them and carry 

them back and forth in an auto. 

Our Mothers were good house- wives. They usually got a woman to help them 1 

by the week, atid got all their sewing done for another season . 

A wornin wis not then expe-ted to have more thin o:ie silk dress , t«eo was 

unusual. Then the 'hoops' made their appearance. 

In those days of the '40's and 'so's it required as much to make a dress as 

would make three now, but I will not boast of the comfort . Six and eight 

wi'lths of yard wide goods, hoops, sleeves flowing half a yard wide, another 

tighter lace sleeve underneath to cover the arms, now frequently no sleeves 

at all. A difference of then and now. 



Of those who took in dressmaking- - as it was called , I have learned of a few 

more who went by the day or week , who also received three meals a day and 

lodging. My first, a Mrs. Guernsey, went out by day or week. 

Also a Mrs. William Walton at home at the southeast corner of Washington 

and McLean Streets; The Miss Millers, Mary and Lizzie, at the southeast cor- 

-ner of Main and Grove. Mary died, Lizzie went away - so I am told. 

Miss Maggie S. Baker was at home at the southeast corner of Center and 

Front Streets. She said she had half a dozen silk dresses finished at one time, 

but to be taken only one to one person. Scarcely any one had two at a time . 

All such work was done by hand, there was no sewing-machines then. 

Sometimes these dresses were ruffled from foot to waist. 

When Miss SalHe Harris, a bride of eighteen, married Dr. Stipp , - her sister 

Miss Elizabeth Harris, her dressmaker - she wore a beautiful silk, blue black 

imd white broken plaid, a red Paisley shawl, and little poke bonnet. Exquisite 

it was. In 1857 and '58 a Mrs. Bosworth was at home up stairs on the east 

side of Main Street, between Front and Grove - a lovely lady . 

There was also a Miss Eliza Curtis at her sisters on North Main Street , and a 

Miss Millbeck in the Royce Block just off Front Street. 

The Miss Hullingers had a shop on the west side of Main Street , and a Mrs. 

Wheeler was located on North Main in the Minerva Block . Mr. Wheeler was 

a music teacher. 

The Miss Dearborns did dressmaking at their home on East Street between 

Washington and Jefferson . One married Mr. William Matthews , one married 

Mr. Luman Burr. Both are now dead. 

Miss Jane Batta also went out by the day or week to do dressmaking and other 

family sewing. She did this work for Mrs. Lyman Ferre, for years. 

A Mrs. Lawrence also made dresses here. I did not learn where she resided. 

I am told of a Mr. Seth Baker who lived on South Main, corner of Kentucky 

Alley, (the alley is still there) He in the twenties, wanted a 'roundabout' now 

called a jumper or blouse, made . He went to a seamstress, a Mrs. Murphy . 

When the work was done he found the button-holes were round. He remonstr- 

-ated. She said 'How can you have round buttons work in long button-holes?' 

Miss A. M. Thayer. 
[ Read before the McLean County Bloomington, Illinois, 

Historical Society.] June ist 191 2. 



(Printed By M11.0 CusT^R, Bloomington, Illinois, March, 1913.) 






















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